By 2006, over 1,200 community-based organizations formed in villages throughout rural Lithuania to solve pressing local problems. Typical organizations are led by women, with 5-10 core activists, and run on volunteer labor. This paper tests empirically core assumption of Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT) through a series of multivariate OLS regression analyses. Specifically, we analyze the extent to which the mobilization of material, human and social-organizational resources by rural SMOs in 2004, predict local-level impacts in 2006 while controlling for social change strategy, tactics and issue framing. The study relies upon an original, longitudinal dataset constructed from a panel survey of a representative sample of village-level SMOs operating throughout rural Lithuania in 2004 and still active in 2006. In 2006, a mail survey was administered to the 237 groups that had previously completed a similar survey in 2004. The response rates for the 2004 and 2006 surveys were 60% and 77% respectively. In all 165 groups completed surveys at both time points and are used in this analysis. The theoretical and research implications of our findings will be discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished ManuscriptReview Method: Peer ReviewedAbstract: By 2006, over 1,200 community-based organizations formed in villages throughout rural Lithuania to solve pressing local problems. Typical organizations are led by women, with 5-10 core activists, and run on volunteer labor. This paper tests empirically core assumption of Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT) through a series of multivariate OLS regression analyses. Specifically, we analyze the extent to which the mobilization of material, human and social-organizational resources by rural SMOs in 2004, predict local-level impacts in 2006 while controlling for social change strategy, tactics and issue framing. The study relies upon an original, longitudinal dataset constructed from a panel survey of a representative sample of village-level SMOs operating throughout rural Lithuania in 2004 and still active in 2006. In 2006, a mail survey was administered to the 237 groups that had previously completed a similar survey in 2004. The response rates for the 2004 and 2006 surveys were 60% and 77% respectively. In all 165 groups completed surveys at both time points and are used in this analysis. The theoretical and research implications of our findings will be discussed.